The Astros looked like a team drifting toward the seller’s side of the trade deadline not long ago. Injuries kept stacking up after their first road trip of the season, hitting both the pitching staff and the position-player group. But Houston has clawed back into the picture, and now it sits just 2.5 games out in both the American League West and the AL wild-card race.
That changes everything for general manager Dana Brown. Instead of preparing to move pieces out ahead of the August 3 deadline, Houston could now find itself in buyer mode. And if that happens, the Astros have clear areas to address.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report pointed to two Baltimore Orioles players who could fit the bill: outfielder Taylor Ward and pitcher Trevor Rogers.
In Miller’s proposed deal, Houston would send outfielder Kevin Alvarez and right-handed pitchers Bryce Mayer and Jackson Nezuh to Baltimore in exchange for Ward and Rogers. Both Orioles players are in the final years of their contracts.
Ward would give the Astros the kind of outfield bat they’ve been chasing for a while. The power has dipped this season - he has five home runs after blasting 36 last year with the Los Angeles Angels - but the on-base skills are still there. He posted 103 RBIs last season and has 23 this year, and his on-base percentage is around .400.
Rogers brings a different kind of upside. His season line - 5-7 with a 4.99 ERA in 79.1 innings - doesn’t jump off the page, but June told a different story. He put together a 2.05 ERA that month and is starting to resemble the pitcher who went 9-3 in 18 starts last season with a 1.81 ERA.
“Both are coveted rentals, and Houston would have to give up a fair amount to snag both in one fell swoop. Kevin Alvarez is their top prospect and a borderline top 100 overall prospect.
Bryce Mayer is their highest-rated pitcher, too. But adding Ward and Rogers may well be what pushes them back to the top of the AL West,'' Miller wrote.
For Houston, the appeal is obvious. Ward may not be the pure power threat the Astros have been hunting, but his ability to reach base would still help.
Rogers, meanwhile, could slide in behind Hunter Brown and give the rotation a real boost. With the AL West looking winnable, Dana Brown has a decision worth making.
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